With fall quarter approaching, Auburn alumni everywhere are getting ready to cheer on the Tigers. We can be proud of Auburn University's accomplishments on the gridiron - and even prouder of our achievements in the academic arena. The following measures of quality certainly illustrate this point.
101 of the Best Values in America's Colleges and Universities, a well respected college guide, cited Auburn University as one of a select group of 'flagship institutions.' Only 34 other universities, none in Alabama, made the list. Flagship institutions are considered by the guide to be the "top teaching and research institutions of higher learning coast to coast."
Each is prominent in its own region of the country and enjoys name recognition and respect among the best of America's major colleges and universities. The 1994 guide states, "Based on impressive past performance and current impact, it's clear that Auburn is among the handful of select public universities that are poised to dominate higher education in the 21st century as the Harvard's and Yale's have done for several centuries past."
For the third consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report ranked Auburn University among the nation's top institutions for providing a quality education at a reasonable cost. Auburn, which was ranked 27th, was the only college or university in Alabama - public or private - listed among the magazine's 50 "national universities." The rankings were calculated by dividing the quality ratings by the total tuition, required fees and room and board for the l996-97 academic year.
"The higher the ratio of quality to price, the better the value," the magazine said.
Money Magazine rated Auburn University 20th among public institutions for its educational value. For the seventh straight year, Auburn is Alabama's only public university or college ranked among Money's top 100 "elite values."
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine rates Auburn University as the top public university in Alabama in l997 and among the top 20 in the United States. Scores were based on a rating system that measured financial value and three rating systems that indicated academic quality. The four criteria included affordability, admission test scores, ratio of students to faculty, and achievement.
Auburn University was cited by Bottom Line/Personal as a best buy for quality education among U.S. colleges and universities.
"Auburn University has more than 22,000 students . . . its strengths are business, architecture and engineering," reports the newsletter, which helps consumers identify best values across the spectrum of consumer goods and services. Schools listed by Bottom Line/Personalincluded the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy, Auburn University, Arizona State University, California State University (Chico), Framingham State College, Kansas State University, and Purdue University.
According to a 1990 ranking by Fortune, Auburn was among the top 20 schools in the nation for producing CEO's of major American companies.
Auburn is the most wired university in Alabama and one of the top 25 in the nation, according to the May, 1997, edition of Yahoo! Internet Life in a ranking of how schools use computers and the internet.
Auburn University is second only to the U.S. Naval Academy in preparing officers for the Nuclear Navy.
Auburn awards more than 50 percent of all baccalaureate engineering degrees conferred in the state of Alabama.
The College of Engineering is ranked 10th nationally in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded. It remains among the nation's top 20 in total enrollment.
Auburn is one of the nation's leading producers of NASA engineers.
Auburn has the only pulp and paper engineering program in Alabama, supporting the state's largest value-added industry.
Supporting an industry with roots in every county and an annual payroll of more than $1.7 billion, Auburn offers the only textile engineering program in Alabama.
Over the past decade, total engineering budget expenditures exceeded $264 million. Less than 30 percent of this was from state appropriations. Research expenditures exceeded $114 million over the past 10 years.
Since 1987, engineering outreach programs have presented more than 1,360 engineering extension short courses offering advanced professional training to 51,540 participants.
The entering freshman engineering class of 1996 averaged 25.4 on the ACT and 1200 on the SAT.
Throughout the past four years, engineering students have comprised 41 percent of all Auburn University honor students.
Historically, 80 to 85 percent of the 700 to 800 students who participate in the university's cooperative education program are engineering students.
Engineering students are active in 31 on-campus engineering organizations, professional groups and honoraries.
Auburn engineering students have competed in the past three national solar car competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Auburn engineering students compete annually in the Society of Automotive Engineers Formula and Baja competitions. Students design, construct and drive vehicles at the national competition, in which more than 100 universities participate.
We can all be proud of these accomplishments. This level of quality would not exist without your support. Auburn is a state assisted, not a state supported university, and as such will increasingly rely on alumni to continue as a world-class engineering Institution.
Our primary goals this year are securing funds for the renovation of Wilmore Laboratories, our primary teaching and research facility, and building our endowment for scholarships for academically talented students.
If you would like to help us achieve these goals, please contact me at the Office of Alumni and Development, 317 South College Street, Auburn University, AL 36849, or phone me at (334) 844-2736.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to get to know those of you with whom I have had an opportunity to visit. Your belief in the College of Engineering mission and your encouragement of our development effort is greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing many of you this fall as you return to visit the Plains. War Eagle!